This is the text of a lecture Renan gave in 1882 in Leiden, The Netherlands. It was a time when the nation state was developing quickly which finally led to World War I. It is not an easy text, but it is famous ever since. And for good reasons. Most importantly, Renan discusses some essential ideas people had and (still) have related to the genesis and nature of `nations’. More in particular, Renan is rather specific on the limits of teleological and deterministic views on nation building processes. His arguments leads him to conclusions with far reaching consequences (and predictions).(He foresaw the establishment of the European Union!).
In the Cross-Cultural Management course, we mainly focused on cultural differences. These cultural differences, however, are often related directly to differences between nations. Think for instance about dimensions of Hofstede and the GLOBE project which ascribe cultural characteristics to national identities.
To guide you through the complexities and many details, we formulate three questions about the text of Renan. The questions are given below. You can try to answer these when you are reading the text, so before the examination. One or two of these questions will be used in the examination. So discuss with your friends and remember your answers well!
If Renan was confronted with the 6 cultural dimensions of Geert Hofstede, how do you think he would respond? Would he see these dimensions as an important building block for nation building processes? Or would he be skeptical about their validity? Why do you think this is the case?
According to Renan, what is a nation? And what are, according to Renan, not sufficient arguments to explain the establishment of modern nationalities?
Looking at the Dutch national anthem, would Renan see its text as a further proof/reflection of the points he wanted to raise in his lecture? Or would he oppose this text and argue that it is based on the arguments/ assumptions he opposes against? Please argue why.
Hofstede has Power Distance, Masc.-Fem., Ind.-Col., Uncertainty av., Short/Long term orientation, indulgence - Self-restraint.
Depending on how you phrase it, you can go both ways. Here is an option:
Renan would be skeptical because he believes that the nation is a spiritual principle formed through past experiences and the present. He would say that even if people differ, that such experiences would bring them together. As such, the cultural distance by Hofstede only explains how nations differ in 6 dimensions and not what made them as a nation, nor what forms them as a nation. the 6 dimensions thus cannot be seen as building blocks, as these are based on "experiences" in Renan's eyes.
Renan mentions race, language, interests, religious affinity, geography and military necessities as subjects that do not explain what a nation is. That which is a nation, according to Renan, is the spiritual principle or "the soul". Meaning that just like individuals, the nation is about the outcome of a long past of efforts, sacrifices, and devotions, or about the desire to live together. An example on this in question 3.
Renan would see this as proof, based on the fact that the lines are about the shared experience of "a people" versus "a common enemy (Spain)" which brought them together.
Expressing "the soul" is quite difficult but is featured within those lines. In "The king of Spain, I have always honoured" is a past. That past was unpleasant, named in:(defeat the tyranny) and it carries an emotion = (which pierces my heart) which all together tells something about the soul of a people. Where they come from (geography, Spain), what colour they symbolize (race, orange), what language they have (German), etc. becomes less important, as that is not the message.of the anthem.
Summary with the 3rd edition of Cross-Cultural Management: Essential concepts by Thomas and Peterson“Dramatic shifts in economics, politics and technology shape the role of the international manager. These shifts are often encapsulated in the term ‘globalization’.” (Thomas and Peterson, 2015)
Globalization = A process whereby worldwide interconnections in virtually every sphere of activity are growing. Some of these interconnections lead to integration/unity worldwide; others do not. The increase in interconnections is the result of shifts that have taken place in technological, political, and economic spheres.
Four categories of change that illustrate the process of globalization:
Growing economic interconnectedness; Causes of a greater degree of interconnectedness are:
The establishment of free trade areas. The three largest trade groups are the European Union, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
The World Trade Organization established with the goal of reducing tariffs and liberalizing trade across the board. Therefore, local economic conditions are no longer the result of purely domestic influence.
The gap between regional GDP growth rates of the fastest-growing and least dynamic regions of the world has begun to narrow.
The level of FDI also has a globalizing effect. FDI, as a percentage of the world GDP, doubled between 1985 and 1994. The result of these changes in trade and FDI flows is a shift in the economic center of the world away from North America and Western Europe.
Effects of greater degree of interconnectedness are
Organizational boundaries are not limited by a country’s boundaries. Certain parts of the organization might be located in different countries to capitalize on certain location specific advantages.
This effect is stimulated by the emergence of virtual organizations (Recap: Information Systems Management) in which employees do not meet face to face but are linked by computer technology.
Multinational firms now manufacture and sell globally on an unprecedented
scale, and the expansion of international production continues to gather momentum.
More complex and dynamic work environment; Causes of globalization that affect the stability of the work
BulletPoint summary with the 3rd edition of Cross-Cultural Management: Essential concepts by Thomas and PetersonGlobalization = A process whereby worldwide interconnections in virtually every sphere of activity are growing. Some of these interconnections lead to integration/unity worldwide; others do not. The increase in interconnections is the result of shifts that have taken place in technological, political, and economic spheres.
Four categories of change that illustrate the process of globalization:
Growing economic interconnectedness
More complex and dynamic work environment; Causes of globalization that affect the stability of the work environment within organizations are
Increased use and sophistication of information technology;
More and different players on the global stage
The elements of the global manager’s environment can be divided into four categories: economic, legal, political, and cultural.
Management = Managers have formal authority over their organizational unit and this status divides their activities into interpersonal, informational, and decisional role categories. Mintzberg’s framework identifies ten role categories of managers.
Types of international management research (for a summarizing table for all types of management research, their cultural assumptions and key research questions, refer to Table 1.3 on page 14.):
Domestic research = Studies that are designed and conducted within a single country without regard for the boundary conditions set by the cultural orientation of the country. Constraint in both its ability to advance theory and its practical application.
Replication research = Studies that are conceived and managed by a researcher in one country and then repeated in other countries by the originator or by local collaborators. They assume that the responses in the two cultures can be compared directly.
Indigenous research = Studies that focus on the varied ways in which managers behave and organizations are run in a variety of specific cultural settings. They assume cultural differences and the research is conducted within a single country.
Comparative research = Studies that seek to find both the similarities and the differences that exist across cultures regarding a particular management issue. Important is that researchers
Lecture Notes 2016/2017: Cross-Cultural Management - RUGIt is not so much a managerial functional activity or specialized field (finance, HRM, logistics, marketing...).
Within these functions, increased cross-border variety redefines existing managerial activities and introduces new managerial issues. For instance:
Who will be in charge of subsidiary X in country Y?
Where do we build a new factory?
How to manage multicultural teams (costs/benefits)?
How do I handle my boss who comes from another country?
Developing global managers: cultural skills and competences or even cultural intelligence?
Where do you find cross-cultural interactions in the managerial world? Where takes the encounter place?
Manager – manager / employee - employee
Manager – employee
Board member - manager
Shareholder – board member
Client – employee
Manager – consultants
Expat family – local living conditions
Impats – ....
Over time the relevance/likelyhood of these encounters changes.
A variety of options with different problems, dynamics and consequences.
History of “culture” concept:
Long history in philosophy and social sciences (anthropology, sociology, psychology, economics).
Basic issue: distinction between nature and society.
Culture is `... that which distinguishes men from animals ...’( Ostwald 1907).
... `While human nature is biologically innate and universal, culture is learned and may vary from one society to another’ ... (Inglehart 1990).
The more people start crossing borders, the more they are confronted with cultural differences between groups of people
Issue with a very long history
Roman empire, crusades, Catholic church, Dzjengis Khan, colonial empires (VOC!), WW1, interbellum globalization, WW 2, .... and nowadays, multinational companies and global institutions as the United Nations.
The forces of culture run deep and far in a society: further than you think. For instance: `individualism’?
'The quality of being an individual; individuality“ related to possessing 'An individual characteristic; a quirk.“ Individualism is thus also associated with artistic and bohemian interests and lifestyles where there is a tendency towards self-creation and experimentation as opposed to tradition or popular mass opinions and behaviours ....”
Differences between The Netherlands and other countries in how they value “individualism”? The Netherlands scores quite high on ‘Individualism/Collectivism’ dimensions.
However, the Exactitude project shows that we are still very much the same.
Conclusion
So what is left of ‘individualism’ here ?
People adapt to the “images” they have in their
Practice Exam 2015/2016: Cross-Cultural Management - RUGThis is the text of a lecture Renan gave in 1882 in Leiden, The Netherlands. It was a time when the nation state was developing quickly which finally led to World War I. It is not an easy text, but it is famous ever since. And for good reasons. Most importantly, Renan discusses some essential ideas people had and (still) have related to the genesis and nature of `nations’. More in particular, Renan is rather specific on the limits of teleological and deterministic views on nation building processes. His arguments leads him to conclusions with far reaching consequences (and predictions).(He foresaw the establishment of the European Union!).
In the Cross-Cultural Management course, we mainly focused on cultural differences. These cultural differences, however, are often related directly to differences between nations. Think for instance about dimensions of Hofstede and the GLOBE project which ascribe cultural characteristics to national identities.
To guide you through the complexities and many details, we formulate three questions about the text of Renan. The questions are given below. You can try to answer these when you are reading the text, so before the examination. One or two of these questions will be used in the examination. So discuss with your friends and remember your answers well!
If Renan was confronted with the 6 cultural dimensions of Geert Hofstede, how do you think he would respond? Would he see these dimensions as an important building block for nation building processes? Or would he be skeptical about their validity? Why do you think this is the case?
According to Renan, what is a nation? And what are, according to Renan, not sufficient arguments to explain the establishment of modern nationalities?
Looking at the Dutch national anthem, would Renan see its text as a further proof/reflection of the points he wanted to raise in his lecture? Or would he oppose this text and argue that it is based on the arguments/ assumptions he opposes against? Please argue why.
Hofstede has Power Distance, Masc.-Fem., Ind.-Col., Uncertainty av., Short/Long term orientation, indulgence - Self-restraint.
Depending on how you phrase it, you can go both ways. Here is an option:
Renan would be skeptical because he believes that the nation is a spiritual principle formed through past experiences and the present. He would say that even if people differ, that such experiences would bring them together. As such, the cultural distance by Hofstede only explains how nations differ in 6 dimensions and not what made them as a nation, nor what forms them as a nation. the 6 dimensions thus cannot be seen as building blocks,
.....read more
Summaries and study services for International Business Bachelor 2 at the University of Groningen
JoHo can really use your help! Check out the various student jobs here that match your studies, improve your competencies, strengthen your CV and contribute to a more tolerant world
There are several ways to navigate the large amount of summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter.
Do you want to share your summaries with JoHo WorldSupporter and its visitors?
Field of study
Je vertrek voorbereiden of je verzekering afsluiten bij studie, stage of onderzoek in het buitenland
Study or work abroad? check your insurance options with The JoHo Foundation
Add new contribution